Page 19 - Patty Hahne "The Pocket Guide to Prepper Knots"

suspension lines between a parachute canopy and a para-
chute harness. It got its name because in order to meet
military specifications, it needed to have a minimal tensile
strength of 550 pounds.
One thing that’s important to keep in mind is that it’s
possible to purchase products that are advertised as para-
cord that do not meet
the specifications of hav-
ing a 550 pound tensile
strength. One helpful tip
is to make sure that you
are purchasing paracord
that is labeled “MIL-C-
5040H type III.” This
is the designation the
United States military
has given for the par-
ticular type of paracord
they use.
It is typically around
4 mm in diameter. It has
Figure 1.
an outer woven sheath
that typically encases seven inner core strands of cordage.
Each of these seven core strands are typically made up of
even more thinner strands that are twisted together. Figure
1 shows a photograph of 550 paracord that has a portion

Introduction to Various Types of Rope 13